How do we find healing when we think the hospital of the soul is closed? Orthodoxy offers a very precise way in which to enter into communion with God. It is a way that must be learned, for simply “becoming Orthodox” will not lead the seeker into an inner life
Author: Abbot Tryphon
I am abbot of All-Merciful Saviour Orthodox Monastery (ROCOR) on Vashon Island, WA. The island is a twenty minute ferry ride from West Seattle, and a fifteen minute crossing from Tacoma.
Surrounded by the Salish Sea, the island is some 87% undeveloped forest, with a rural population of around eleven thousand citizens. If you wish to contact me personally, you can email me at: abbottryphon@vashonmonks.com
The tradition of posting a cross on the doors of Christians In the mid eighth century Saint John of Damascus said, “We venerate the Cross of Christ, by which the power of the demons and the deceit of the devil were destroyed.” From the time of the Early Church we
The importance of promoting the welfare of others With thousands of Americans losing their jobs, due to the Pandemic that has descended upon our land, we are witnessing what some are seeing as another Great Depression coming our way. For those who have not lost their income, it is important
Why we should place a cross by our entrance door On Saturday morning, in the very early hours, I received a text message from a trusted priest friend, informing me of an apparition of the Holy Theotokos that had appeared on the Holy Mountain, shortly after all the monasteries had
It is through the Church that we bind ourselves to Christ The Apostle Paul taught in I Timothy 3:15, that the Church is the pillar and ground of Truth, and it is to this Church that the Apostles entrusted the Faith, once and for all delivered to the saints as
What we must do when we’re broken It is only human to become despondent when we have failed in keeping to our moral, ethical and spiritual standards, succumbing, instead, to temptation. Our Orthodox Faith teaches that we must be compassionate towards others, loving, quick to forgive, exemplar in our Christian
While suffering under the pandemic I have been painfully aware that many people are feeling betrayed by their bishops and priests because of the closure of our churches, during this pandemic. Some have suggested that we priests are enjoying the services because we no longer have to suffer the hassles
Our Lenten journey sequestered into the heart of the desert This period of the Great Lenten Fast, especially during a time when most Americans are confined to their homes because of the pandemic, is the perfect time to confront our sinful habits and weaknesses, such as the spirits of impatience,
Turning Orthodoxy into an ideological religion If we allow ourselves to become spiritual gluttons, and turn the traditions of Orthodoxy into occasions for sensual and prideful displays, we will not embrace the grace that can be ours through quiet and penitential struggle. If our public displays of piety become distractions
What about people who are not Orthodox? It is always a pity when people who claim to be Orthodox make judgements against fellow Christians. In the tradition of Orthodoxy, wherever we find beauty and truth, it is of God, and it is our calling, as Orthodox Christians, to rejoice when